Storytelling

I know most of us like to hear a really good story. What makes it even better is if the person telling it is a good storyteller. I love it when the person telling the story shows excitement and makes me laugh.

Our daughter Dana is home with us for several days. We invited family over so she could see lots of people at one time. She had some fun stories since she had spent the last seven days "camping" her way home. A requirement of a good storyteller is embellishing the story. She succeeded. And I laughed.

What is so neat about storytelling is that once it begins the rest of us surely have as good a story or better so we share too. We heard some pretty neat tales last night. Might have to use the expression "what was told at the Merwin's last night - stays at the Merwin's".  Lots of crazy fun. Lots of laughter. Lots of embellishing! Always great to share fellowship with friends and family  . . . and tell a few stories.

Spring Cards

Here are a few of my most recent cards. Thought I would share my little hobby with you. Thank you for looking.

Just Curious Ladies

"It's tough being a women in a world where beauty is a treatment."

As a part of our study, Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman", we were asked to go into our bathroom, look in the cabinets and make a list of as many items as you could find that fall under the categories: cosmetics, beauty treatments, precious ointments, soaps for bathing.

I did and that was scary. But I am not sure you would want to see me without them :-)

So - just curious - how many items in your bathroom? BTW - I have 16 and probably forgot to list some others!

Beauty Treatments

We are bombarded on a daily basis by the media trying to convince us that we are not what we could or should be. They would have us believe that we are overweight and unattractive. Just today I caught myself listening to a commercial advertising "Eraser Foundation". According to the commercial I can just erase my precious crow lines from my eyes in a matter of minutes. I actually wrote down the name of the product. Now that is sad.

Do you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to those tiny people on TV? Comparing your smile to the smiles of movie stars? The world would have us to believe that if we are not a size 2 with teeth so bright that we could light up a room in the dark that we are not beautiful. Unfortunately, most of us believe that.

I am meeting with some very beautiful women on Sunday evenings for Beth Moore's Bible Study - Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman. We are just beginning our journey together and I am excited about what God is going to show us about what He considers beautiful.

I want to share just a few things we heard from Lesson1 video and maybe you can relate or maybe it will provoke some serious thinking in what you consider beautiful.

1. A woman who wants everybody to think she is beautiful is a miserable woman.
2. A woman who wants all men to think she is beautiful is a dangerous woman.
3. A woman who doesn't want anybody to think she is beautiful is a terrified woman. 
4. And then there is a woman who hopes a few somebodies or at least one somebody will think she is a beautiful. 

I have another description for you and that is - A woman who does have one somebody who thinks she is beautiful is a LOVED woman. There is ONE somebody who thinks you are beautiful and that is Jesus - so know that you are LOVED and BEAUTIFUL.

I will leave you with these scriptures that Beth Moore shared with us:

Colossians 2:10 - So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. (You don't need anybody else.)
Song of Solomon 7:10 - I am my beloved's, And his desire is for me. (New American Standard)
Psalm 90:17 -  And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us:  . . . (King James Version)

Our beauty is from within and you can take that to the bank!

Babbling

Those of you who know me know that I love to talk. It wouldn't be too hard to figure that out either once we have met. And maybe I take too long to tell a story. Charlie has recently referred to that part of my conversation as "babbling". So, I try very hard to be more conscious of that - the babbling. He has these little looks that he gives me that I have learned means: Get To The Point!  So I really try. By the way, I am totally cool with that.

So, let me get to the point. Witnessing. I am reading the books of Acts now and today I was reminded that we have been given a command by Jesus to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." That's what Peter and John were doing in Chapter 3. That is an overwhelming task. I have had people share with me that they are not great at sharing their faith. I think that is pretty much what the disciples were feeling at the time.

But Jesus reminded his disciples of the time they had spent together the last three years. He also reminded them He had complete authority in heaven and earth so He was completely in charge. He didn't tell them that they had to go memorize scripture in order to do this. He told them to share their story. He told them to get out among the people. Not seclude themselves. Get out in the world. Go fishing with them, go to weddings and parties. Share your story.

Now it is not nearly as hard to witness when I look at it this way. I have a story to tell. We each have a story to tell. Each of our stories are different. We are not going to tell it the same way. As I am out and about in this world, I want to be sensitive to every opportunity to share my story. I never know if I am the one planting the seed, watering the seed, or bringing the seed to fruition. But I am going to keep on "babbling" - depending on Him for what to say just in case I get to do one of these. :-)

Yard Sale and Pancake Breakfast

Now - don't the two of those just go hand in hand - Yard Sales and Pancake Breakfast. We are recuperating from our annual church yard sale and pancake breakfast. We spent Thursday and Friday organizing all the treasures that our church family brought in to be a part of the yard sale. Isn't that a great way to start a cool, crisp Saturday morning. We opened the doors about 7 a.m. with the social hall jam packed full of treasures while the men were busily cooking pancakes and sausage. We always have such a great group of people coming through. Love to see dear friends and in my case lots of my former students. Such fun to reminisce!

Today was special too! Always glad to be in the house of the Lord on Sundays. We had such a great time sharing in Sunday School. Afterward we rode Charlie's bike with some friends of ours to Madison, FL for a bite of lunch and back.

I am about to head to the church to be with a wonderful group of ladies as we start a bible study - Esther: It's Tough being a Woman by Beth Moore. I love her stuff and can't wait to see how God will bless us.

Blessings to all of you. Thanks for stopping by :-)

Waiting for a Promised Gift

I am not very good at waiting. When I want something, I want it right then, not later. Now just think how I would do if I were told I was promised to receive a special gift but I would have to wait for just the right time to receive it. My waiting would be even more difficult.

I think of my husband Charlie and how he handles opening Christmas gifts. He appears to most as being a very patient person. But - if you wrap a bunch of presents and put them under a Christmas tree and tell him that he can't open them until everybody is home for Christmas, he is as worrisome as any child about opening them. He can't wait until everybody is home to "have" Christmas. (Not that I can blame him.)

Sometimes we have had to wait a week after Christmas to open gifts. It was really hard but it was so much fun when we did share in the exchanging of gifts with all of our family .

That is what God did. He promised a gift for the disciples after Jesus would not longer be there with them. Acts 1:4 On one occasion, while he (Jesus) was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

Wait: Don't get ahead of God. They had no idea exactly when they would receive this gift.
Gift: His Holy Spirit. They probably did not have a clue how exciting this was going to be.
Promise: Power.

It was worth their waiting and I am so glad it is a promise of mine as a child of God. It is exciting and powerful!

Let It Shine

I use to feel inadequate - that I didn't know enough scripture so that I could share with others. I got involved with some people who were strong Christians and I studied, I listened, I stepped out in faith and God provided. He prepared the way and I followed.

This did not happen overnight. It has been a process. Everything in my past has prepared me for my ministry today. It is the hope that I can share with others.The more we know about what God has done in the past, the greater the confidence we will have in His control of the future. It's like driving. One of the things I was told when I learned how to drive is that the rear view mirror is one of the most important things in the car that I should use. It let's me know what is behind me so it will not interfere with where I am going.

Roman 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

There is no hopeless situation. There are only people who have grown hopeless. Joy and peace are not dependent on the things around me. Joy and peace are the presence of Jesus in me.

His light shines in me. "This little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine."

I am weak but He is strong!

I shared earlier that as a part of my "Lent" I chose to "give" not "give up" something. As part of my giving I am reading the book of Romans and Acts during Lent. For whatever reason, I am reading Romans first and then Acts. That may sound crazy but that's just what God told me to do. Today I read Romans 13 and I have to admit it has been more difficult to get my thoughts together on this. This is what God shared with me this morning.

I live to honor Him. I will have to give account to Him for my actions - not someone else's actions. Does that mean I shouldn't care about what others are doing? Absolutely not! But I am not called to judge them. Romans 13:17-18 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Notice the order of that: pleasing to God, approved by men.

I do not need to put myself in situations where I know that I might be tempted to do something that I should not do. Bottom line: Can I participate in a certain activity without sinning? Will I be influenced negatively by participating? I have shared an example many times that one of my former students shared in class one day (yes, in class). If I am standing in a chair and you are standing on the floor, is it easier for me to pull you up or for you to pull me down? That is what I need to ask myself when I am questioning my activities especially when I know my weaknesses, my temptations.

I must know my strengths and weaknesses as I go and serve God. I am to be strong in my faith and sensitive to others without sacrificing my freedom in Christ. Yes, very hard to do at times. I am weak and yes, He is strong and He gives me knowledge to discern how best to serve Him.

I am first and foremost accountable to God.

Authentic Love

I guess we each have our own list of songs that remind us of what love is or maybe is not. Some songs that come to mind for me are (now remember I am as old as dirt, so some of you may not be able to relate to these): "All You Need Is Love" - The Beatles, "Looking for Love" - Johnny Lee, "What the World Needs Now" - Carpenters and one very recent "Love Me" - J J Heller.

The power of love should never be short changed. Romans 13:8 "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law." God gave us the ten commandments but Paul writes in Romans 13:9 " . . . These - and other commandments-are summed up in this one commandment:'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "

So my question is this: Do you love yourself? Do you know that you are so loved that it is okay to love yourself? A precious friend of mine shared this song by J J Heller with me. I was so touched by the words in "Love Me". Allow me to share part of the song with you.

She first begins the chorus with:
Who will love me for me?
Not for what I have done or what I will become
Who will love me for me?
‘Cause nobody has shown me what love, what love really means

and then she ends the song with this chorus:

I will love you for you
Not for what you have done or what you will become
I will love you for you
I will give you the love
The love that you never knew 

Here is a link where you can listen to it and see all the lyrics. Love Me - J J Heller

Real love changes people. Authentic Love. God's Love. I must know that I am REALLY loved by God and once I accept that fact, I can then love myself- the good, the bad, the ugly. I can cry with people who hurt because I have hurt. (By the way, I am a good crier). I can laugh with people because I have laughed. That's how I am able to love the unlovable. It is authentic love. It is authentic because I have been there.

I fell in love with the King. He adopted me. That means I became a princess. I am worthy to be loved and love. You are too!

Out of My Mind

What is a good day for you? One of my daughters told me once that a good day is when "It's a good day when I don't lose any money and no one dies." In this day and age that is a good day especially the part about not losing any money. A good day for me is one in which I feel I have been productive. A day when I have gotten a lot of things done. However, was my good day a good day for anyone else?

Romans 12 gives great insight as to how we can have a good day.
Consider this:

1. Really love. No hypocrisy, no play-acting, no ulterior motive. 
2. Be good. You're not really good if you're good because you fear the consequences of being bad.
3. Honor one another. There is someone you know today who feels neglected.
4. Cry with someone. Someone shared this with me once: 'Folks have to cry together before they're friends. The bond of tears is strong.' Yes, it is a good day if you share tears.
5. Don't think you are better than you really are. Wow! I have a story I will try to share sometime. I call it my Crazy Mary story.
6. The way to destroy an enemy is to make him your friend.

The only way I will be able to have a good day is to "be transformed by the renewing of my mind." Gotta be out of my mind to be in the mind of Christ. What are WE thinking today Lord?